Evaluate

Evaluate

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

• Evaluating endpoints for an Asterisk-based phone system

  Enterprises building an Asterisk-based phone system have three endpoint options. Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of these endpoints in this book excerpt. Continue Reading

• UCaaS adoption rises as firms consolidate UC setups

  Cloud-based UC provides the agility, mobility and cost savings organizations need. The current trend to consolidating UC in the cloud, and as a service, will likely expand. Continue Reading

• 2021 trends in video conferencing focus on flexibility

  Video conferencing took center stage as companies found ways to connect their dispersed workforce. For 2021, trends in video conferencing include how to make the technology more versatile, and more fun. Continue Reading

• 2021 trends driving the future of unified communications

  While 2021 is full of uncertainty for many organizations, four unified communications trends will drive buying decisions as IT leaders prepare for the future of work. Continue Reading

• What are the benefits of centralized SIP trunking?

  More efficient management and lower costs are just some of the advantages of centralized SIP trunking. Find out why it's better to place trunking components in one place. Continue Reading

• How has COVID-19 driven CPaaS API adoption?

  New CPaaS use cases are emerging as business requirements for digital communications services evolve in response to COVID-19.Continue Reading

• CPaaS market growth broadens amid new use cases

  While the pandemic didn't have a significant effect on CPaaS market growth, organizations accelerating their digital transformation plans are driving demand for APIs.Continue Reading

• How has Twilio SIP trunking disrupted the market?

  Making it easier for companies to deploy a SIP trunk was just part of Twilio's strategy. It was Twilio SIP trunking pricing that really changed the game.Continue Reading

• How UC technology supports long-term remote work

  Successful long-term remote work needs unified communications. Learn about the communications tools that organizations need to ensure effective employee communication.Continue Reading

• Unified communications analytics mature to verify business value

  There is more than one way to showcase the value of unified communications in the boardroom. UC analytics can help companies obtain the metrics they need to prove a business case.Continue Reading

• Slack's growth strategy faces the hurdle of paid users

  In this roundup of UC blogs, analysts discuss challenges to Slack's growth, enhancements to Avaya Spaces video and the drivers for UCC vendor consolidation.Continue Reading

• Whiteboard apps support virtual ideation for remote teams

  Ideation is more challenging as employees continue to work remotely. Virtual whiteboard apps are an emerging tool designed to help team members generate the innovations that businesses rely on.Continue Reading

• How do NG911 standards make the technology superior to E911?

  NG911 standards mean more accurate location tracking for emergency calls on IP-based communications systems, and more efficient response by police, EMTs and firefighters.Continue Reading

• Microsoft and Amazon take on CPaaS market share

  The CPaaS landscape is evolving as Microsoft and Amazon introduce their own communications APIs. Learn how cloud computing vendors entering the market is changing the CPaaS game.Continue Reading

• Enterprises mull software-based business phone alternatives

  Cellphone usage has outpaced POTS in the home, so why are enterprises still using desk phones? Business phone alternatives can save companies time and money.Continue Reading

• Zoom Phone system users share their success stories and setbacks

  Tech leaders at Zoomtopia explained how migrating to the Zoom Phone system provides their employees with an integrated communications experience and improved business continuity.Continue Reading

• UC presence evolves amid remote work revolution

  UC presence technology must evolve to be effective in today's world of remote work and multi-device communication. Learn how presence can adapt to new ways of working.Continue Reading

• Speech recognition use cases enable touchless collaboration

  For companies bringing workers back to the office, touchless collaboration is key. These three speech recognition use cases can help make that transition easier.Continue Reading

• Remote teams centralize collaboration on Slack platform

  Deploying collaboration technology has played a key role in supporting remote teams during the pandemic. Tech leaders at Slack Frontiers share their success stories.Continue Reading

• SIP trunking vs. VoIP: What's the difference?

  SIP trunking and VoIP share some similarities, but they have key differences in origin and functions. How well do you understand these telephony cornerstones?Continue Reading

• What will touchless collaboration in meeting rooms look like?

  Touchless collaboration will determine how employees use meeting room equipment in the future. Learn about three options -- one of which represents the worst alternative.Continue Reading

• Microsoft Teams updates address employee engagement

  In this roundup of UC blogs, analysts discuss Microsoft Teams updates, CPaaS announcements from Microsoft Ignite and Verizon's portfolio strategy for BlueJeans.Continue Reading

• Unified communications strategy shifts in wake of COVID

  Unified communications strategy has to accommodate both remote workers and those employees who may come back to the office. Where are companies allocating their UC budget dollars?Continue Reading

• What are use cases for business live event streaming services?

  Business live event streaming services can transform webinars and virtual events to be more interactive and create engaging experiences for customers.Continue Reading

• Webex vs. Zoom vs. Teams: Consider future needs, innovation

  As organizations evaluate unified communications products from Cisco, Zoom and Microsoft, they should consider how the vendors are investing in their respective products.Continue Reading

• Making the business case to migrate to Microsoft Teams PBX

  Replacing an on-premises PBX with Microsoft Teams Phone System offers organizations flexibility with pricing, hardware and collaboration capabilities but does have limitations.Continue Reading

• On-premises and cloud UC debate amplified by pandemic

  Three unified communications analysts offer insights on the current state of the on-premises vs. cloud debate as organizations grapple with industry changes.Continue Reading

• Why remote work needs mobile unified communications

  As organizations prepare their return-to-work strategies, mobile unified communications is key to ensure consistent access to communications tools, regardless of the user's location.Continue Reading

• Compare the 8 leading unified communications providers

  Discover the unified communications products that are best for your organization with an in-depth look at specific vendor offerings and features.Continue Reading

• CPaaS industry growth driven by pandemic communications

  The CPaaS industry is accelerating as the pandemic drives new use cases for communications APIs, from virtual patient visits in healthcare to contactless pickup in retail.Continue Reading

• The move to UC 3.0 and what it means for businesses

  Tony McQueen makes the case for why companies should consider implementing UC 3.0, such as improved integration, easier for remote employees to use and more.Continue Reading

• Cloud-based UC adoption skyrockets amid pandemic response

  Many organizations are considering cloud-based UC after their on-premises communications infrastructure failed to adequately support remote workers during the pandemic.Continue Reading

• Future-proof your UC strategy with these 3 best practices

  Future-proofing UC can be difficult, as technology evolves and employee needs change. Learn three best practices to consider before investing in a UC deployment.Continue Reading

• Enterprise Connect 2020 focuses on new UC priorities

  Organizations need advice on changing collaboration needs and pandemic-related remote work. A virtual Enterprise Connect 2020 will address a new world of enterprise communications.Continue Reading

• Will remote work spur unified communications interoperability?

  Unified communications interoperability is gaining more attention as more employees work from home. But, while some progress is being made, there is a long way to go.Continue Reading

• How can mobile collaboration support workers in a pandemic?

  Mobile collaboration apps help remote workers keep in touch during stay-at-home orders. They are also key to communications flexibility as workers begin returning to the office.Continue Reading

• Compare 11 leading cloud-based video conferencing tools

  Discover the top video conferencing tools with this detailed download that compares and contrasts the leading contenders in the cloud-based market today.Continue Reading

• AV integrators resolute amid changing market trends

  The AV market is undergoing a transformation due to COVID-19 and growing UC adoption. AV integrators still have an important role to play in a changing workplace.Continue Reading

• Microsoft Teams meetings tutorial offers best practices

  In this Microsoft Teams meetings tutorial, learn the features and functionalities of virtual meetings and live events, from customizing meeting requests to sharing content.Continue Reading

• Making the most of meetings in Microsoft Teams

  Meetings in Microsoft Teams are vital to support remote collaboration. Learn what role Teams meetings should play in your organization and where the platform must improve.Continue Reading

• Do you really need 4K video resolution in the enterprise?

  Organizations may not need 4K video resolution today, but it might be a good idea to prepare your infrastructure to support the higher-resolution format for tomorrow's demands.Continue Reading

• 5G UC evens the mobile communications playing field

  5G could improve the quality of UC services over mobile networks. Learn the advantages 5G UC offers remote workers compared to current-generation networks.Continue Reading

• What are the benefits of a virtual session border controller?

  A virtual session border controller can help companies meet increased demands without requiring the installation of costly and dedicated hardware.Continue Reading

• Microsoft Teams vs. Zoom: Can Teams replace Zoom?

  Organizations weighing Microsoft Teams vs. Zoom conferencing must consider the long-term licensing costs, collaboration features and UX of the services.Continue Reading

• Slack and Zoom integration drives Skype's decline

  In this roundup of UC blogs, analysts discuss how the Slack and Zoom integration are pushing Skype's decline, why vendors must look beyond video and team collaboration success factors.Continue Reading

• How can CPaaS technology support remote work?

  CPaaS technology offers a lot of benefits, but it's not a quick fix for enterprises considering how they might use it to support increasing amounts of remote workers.Continue Reading

• Increased remote work requires evaluating collaboration costs

  Organizations taking advantage of free collaboration offerings during the pandemic must consider how collaboration costs will change as remote work continues.Continue Reading

• Enterprise collaboration market upended as remote work surges

  The enterprise collaboration market is facing significant change as employees work from home. Find out what companies need to do to help their workers thrive in this new environment.Continue Reading

• Team collaboration tools ease remote work management

  As employees continue to work from home, team collaboration apps can provide organizations with the tools they need to support remote work management and engagement.Continue Reading

• How do you compare the TCO of on-premises UC vs. UCaaS?

  While TCO can be a helpful metric when weighing on-premises UC options, it's less relevant for evaluating cloud services. Comparing on-premises UC vs. UCaaS has two considerations.Continue Reading

• Video conferencing encryption comes into focus

  With more people working from home and collaborating via online meetings, video conferencing security among vendors and users has been thrust into the spotlight.Continue Reading

• How do you measure jitter and what tools can you use?

  What's the best way to accurately measure jitter? There are a variety of tools, but it's important to pick the one that's right for you.Continue Reading

• Gains in WebRTC technology making it increasingly versatile

  WebRTC technology is now an important part of today's unified communications environment. But its road to adoption didn't come without a few bumps along the way.Continue Reading

• Video conferencing adoption surge highlights market trends

  Amid the throes of coronavirus, organizations have relied on video collaboration. But, after the pandemic subsides, will businesses still use video as a fundamental workflow?Continue Reading

• What collaboration metrics determine an app's business value?

  Collaboration tools offer organizations benefits, including increased productivity. Learn which collaboration metrics can provide insight into the business value of these tools.Continue Reading

• Evaluating video conference options: BYOC, kits, appliances

  The varieties of video conferencing tools can be confusing. Let our expert help you gain clarity on how kits, appliances and bring-your-own-compute options work.Continue Reading

• Should you buy communication APIs from a UC or CPaaS vendor?

  Organizations can deploy communication APIs from their UC provider or a stand-alone CPaaS provider. Learn why communication requirements will influence the vendor decision.Continue Reading

• The 3 benefits of maintaining T1 and E1 lines

  T1 and E1 lines may be old technology, but they have advantages over more modern internet connections. Learn the three benefits T1 and E1 offer compared to internet links.Continue Reading

• Determining the business benefits of CPaaS use cases

  Deploying CPaaS can improve business efficiency. But the success of CPaaS use cases depends on the benefits outweighing service implementation and development costs.Continue Reading

• Emerging UCaaS trends include workflow integrations and AI

  Analysts say UCaaS trends show growing adoption rates and increasingly sophisticated functionality. From application and workflow integrations to AI, here's what's ahead.Continue Reading

• UCaaS market verticals require custom platform features

  UCaaS market verticals have unique communications requirements. Most platforms now offer businesses more customizability to tailor features and integrations to meet specific needs.Continue Reading

• Private cloud shifts benefits of cloud-based unified communications

  Private cloud UCaaS is giving companies some compelling reasons to reassess their cloud-based unified communications strategies. Better performance is just one factor.Continue Reading

• Comparing UCaaS vs. CPaaS for cloud-based communications

  CPaaS and UCaaS platforms are growing, as organizations move from on premises to cloud. Learn what capabilities these options offer and how they fit into your enterprise communications.Continue Reading

• Cisco collaboration products unify UC, admin and productivity tools

  In this roundup of UC blogs, analysts discuss the evolution of Cisco collaboration products, voice recognition in collaboration workflows and how AI benefits productivity suites.Continue Reading

• How can IT manage video conferencing interoperability?

  Video interoperability is challenging but necessary for today's enterprise. Evaluating vendor partnerships and choosing hardware that supports multiple video services are key.Continue Reading

• What are the risks and benefits of AI-driven speech technology?

  The benefits of AI-driven speech technology are growing, but it also comes with risks. Learn the pros and cons of adopting AI-driven speech technology.Continue Reading

• On-premises vs. cloud vs. hybrid UC deployment models

  UC deployment has evolved, and enterprises can now choose from on-premises or cloud-based UC options or a mix of both. Find out how to decide which UC model is right for you.Continue Reading

• Evaluating top UCaaS providers and features

  The unified communications-as-a-service market is diverse and growing. Learn how to analyze UCaaS offerings and select a provider that aligns with your present and future needs.Continue Reading

• Unified communications market trends drive increased spending

  On-premises UC is in decline as organizations buy into the latest unified communications market trends, such as cloud collaboration tools and embedded communications.Continue Reading

• Why is live enterprise video streaming use expanding?

  Live enterprise video use is growing. Learn how changes in culture and technology are encouraging organizations to embrace more livestreaming use cases.Continue Reading

• CPaaS market growth outpaces UCaaS as organizations demand APIs

  Demand for API capabilities is driving the CPaaS market. Learn why organizations want APIs in addition to UCaaS platforms and why vendor overlap won't lead to market convergence.Continue Reading

• 5 business benefits of unified communications in the cloud

  Organizations evaluating alternatives to on-premises systems should consider five business benefits of unified communications in the cloud, including improved scalability and security.Continue Reading

• 3 benefits of unified communications for small business

  Small businesses that adopt unified communications can expect to improve employee engagement, reduce costs and consolidate overlapping tools.Continue Reading

• Live enterprise video streaming driving market disruption

  Live broadcasts, user-created content and webinars are increasing in popularity. Learn what capabilities are shaping the way organizations approach enterprise video.Continue Reading

• The top 6 CPaaS trends to track in 2022

  The CPaaS market is evolving to address digital transformation demands as a result of COVID-19. Provider priorities in 2022 include increased scale and improved support for video.Continue Reading

• Explore 6 SIP trunk providers with these comparison points

  Explore these six SIP vendors and the pros and cons that they each introduce to your company's telecommunications system.Continue Reading

• E1 and T1 vs. ISDN: What are the differences?

  T1, E1 and ISDN network technology have been used to transmit voice data for years. Compare the similarities and differences between E1 and T1 vs. ISDN links.Continue Reading

• Biggest UC trends revealed in top news stories of 2019

  Vendor partnerships and interoperability initiatives are a few of the UC trends that made headlines in 2019. Take a look back at some of the top stories from the past year.Continue Reading

• Is hybrid cloud a long-term UC deployment option?

  Where on-premises UC offers control, cloud-based UC offers agility. Learn why a hybrid UC deployment is a temporary move on the way to a full cloud option.Continue Reading

• Maximize huddle room design for enhanced collaboration

  In this huddle room guide, learn the key trends driving adoption and how the right huddle room design can enhance the effectiveness of collaboration.Continue Reading

• Mobile trends that will flourish and flop in 2020

  In this roundup of UC blogs, analysts discuss mobile trends for 2020, how to choose the right digital whiteboard canvas and how video analytics could help retailers.Continue Reading

• CPaaS market evolves to meet changing business needs

  Changing user needs are transforming the CPaaS market as vendors look to provide tools for nondevelopers and enhance communications API capabilities.Continue Reading

• 4 SIP trunking benefits for cloud migration

  SIP adoption continues to grow, even as more organizations migrate their communications to the cloud. Learn the benefits that come from bringing SIP trunking to UCaaS.Continue Reading

• The advantages of video calling drive business competition

  Established companies can have a hard time competing with younger cloud-native competitors. But the advantages of video calling can level the playing field.Continue Reading

• Microsoft, Cisco usher in new era of video conferencing interoperability

  In this roundup of UC blogs, analysts discuss the future of video interoperability, Zoom's evolution in business communications and key announcements from Microsoft Ignite.Continue Reading

• What are the benefits of 5G VoIP?

  5G VoIP will have some noticeable benefits over its earlier 4G iteration. Learn how 5G rollouts could improve the VoIP experience with high capacity and low latency.Continue Reading

• CPaaS trends reflect expanded vendor offerings

  CPaaS trends, like high-level APIs, are helping providers expand their portfolios and strengthen offerings for organizations that want enhanced capabilities.Continue Reading

• How do no-code applications benefit from CPaaS APIs?

  Low-code and no-code applications are gaining traction in the CPaaS market as vendors offer capabilities that reduce coding requirements for developers.Continue Reading

• Workplace by Facebook app finds its enterprise footing

  The Workplace by Facebook app is starting to make serious inroads in the enterprise as large organizations look to unify disparate workers and enhance employee communication.Continue Reading

• Team collaboration platform benefits and challenges

  Productivity can improve when organizations adopt team collaboration platforms. Learn the benefits and challenges of adopting a team collaboration platform.Continue Reading

• Modern workspaces balance business and employee needs

  In this roundup of UC blogs, analysts discuss the trends driving modern workspaces, how 5G could support augmented reality in the enterprise and the future of CPaaS.Continue Reading

• How are vendors innovating video conferencing features?

  Now that video has matured, vendors are looking for new ways to innovate video conferencing features. Learn what new capabilities are likely to come to video conferencing.Continue Reading

• Comparing H.323 vs. SIP: What's the difference?

  Discover the similarities and differences of H.323 vs. SIP standards, and learn why SIP has become the de facto standard for voice and video communications.Continue Reading

• What are the benefits of a UC and contact center integration?

  UC offerings that include contact center integration provide more seamless communications and engagement between office workers and contact center agents.Continue Reading

• Enhancing business processes with intelligent virtual assistants

  In this roundup of UC blogs, analysts discuss the rise of intelligent virtual assistants, Zoom's foray into WebRTC technology and the pitfalls of using vendor-provided RFPs.Continue Reading

• Gartner video conferencing Magic Quadrant highlights remote work

  Video meetings are increasingly important as the workforce grows more distributed and joins meetings from personal devices, according to the 'Magic Quadrant for Meeting Solutions.'Continue Reading

• Advanced huddle room technology improves experience

  Fitting huddle rooms with audio and video isn't as simple as taking an offering meant for the boardroom and putting it in a smaller space. Due to their size, huddle rooms present a unique set of ...Continue Reading

• Microsoft Teams Rooms system offers benefits, hardware concerns

  Bringing Microsoft Teams to meeting rooms offers several collaboration benefits. But IT must carefully evaluate hardware options to get the most out of a Teams Rooms system.Continue Reading

• Which vendors still support on-premises UC infrastructure?

  Not all organizations can migrate UC to the cloud. For those unable to migrate, a few vendors continue to support UC infrastructure on premises.Continue Reading

• How AI in the workplace will affect collaboration and job performance

  AI in the workplace can enhance unified communications and collaboration services. But IT decision-makers must consider three effects on employee collaboration and job roles.Continue Reading